India's Booming Brewery Industry

India’s beer industry is tipped to be a key growth sector over the next few years, as changing demographics and cultural attitudes encourage more breweries and craft beer makers to start producing and selling in the country.

The market analysts BMI Research have postulated that the volume of beer sales will expand at a compound annual growth rate of 7.5% between 2017 and 2021. This confidence is mirrored by the All India Brewers’ Association (AIBA), which expects the beer market to reach INR 430 billion by 2017.

This forecast is backed up by a strong growth in the number of microbreweries that have started operating since 2008, rocketing from two to 80 in just nine years! This has coincided with a 20% year-on-year growth in the sales of craft beer.

However, it is not just the quantity of beer that it is getting better, as consumers are demanding produce that consistently meets a higher level of quality. This means that brewers are not just having to ramp up production levels to supply the demand, but they have to do so in a considered and appropriate manner to ensure that the brewery’s produce doesn’t suffer in the process of upscaling production.

Getting the brewery design right is central to meeting this challenge, as if the equipment or building materials are not up to the task then the facility won’t be able to properly function or turn out high-end beer.

An important part of any brewery is the floor underfoot, as it has to maintain a clean and safe surface despite the corrosive ingredients, heavy equipment, frequent cleaning, impacts and wear that it will inevitably be exposed to. If the floor is not able to survive this abuse then it will crack and fail, slowing down operations as staff have to navigate potential trip hazards and making the brewery vulnerable to contaminant build up that could spoil the beer.

To ensure that the floor facilitates a clean, safe and productive brewery environment for the long term, it needs to provide the following properties:  

Impact, Abrasion and Thermal Shock Resistance

The floor should have the mechanical strength to withstand continuous impacts from kegs, barrels, pallets, forklift trucks and dropped tools as well as being capable of carrying the compressive load from the site’s extremely heavy equipment. Along with forceful physical impacts, the floor needs to minimise abrasions and wear from a number of sources, including hose ends, foot traffic and heavily laden trolleys.

Excellent resistance to rapid and extreme temperature shifts is also vital, as the floor will likely be exposed to factors such as steam cleaning and hot production by-products.

Slip Resistance

Breweries are inherently slippery places, prone to wet surfaces and standing water. To minimise the risk of slips and trips in wet areas the floor needs to have an anti-slip texture that enhances traction underfoot. This can easily be done with resin finishes by broadcasting anti-slip aggregates into the coating.

Hygienic Properties

Floors in breweries must be food safe to discourage the growth of harmful microorganisms. If the floor is not easy to clean then spillages can be left unaddressed and develop into stains that permanenantly damage the coating, leading to a higher chance of the finish inadvertently promoting bacteria build up. Additionally, if the surface is uneven then waste water can pond and stagnate, setting the scene for a serious contamination incident!

To avoid this scenario, the finish needs to be seamless, impervious and easy to clean in order to stop bacteria, mould and other pathogens from accumulating. The Flowfresh range of HACCP International certified, polyurethane floors incorporates the Polygiene® antibacterial agent, which creates a finish able to eliminate up to 99.9% of bacteria in contact with it.

Along with being seamless and impervious floors need to incorporate effective drainage. By laying the coating to a fall and putting stainless steel drainage at the lowest point of the floor it makes it very simple to keep the floor area free from grime, dirt and standing water.

Chemical Resistance

A brewery’s operators need to consider the liquids, chemicals and ingredients used on site to determine the required chemical resistance of the floor. Yeast, alcohol, malts, enzymes, brewing sugars and harsh cleaning chemicals could all erode the finish over time. The areas where any corrosive ingredients, acids and alkaline chemicals are situated need to have floors suitably tailored to withstand prolonged exposure to the substances identified as being in use in that area of the facility.

It is important to also bear in mind that it is not just the sanitising agents and disinfectants used to clean the floor that need to be considered, as the products employed to clean the equipment can easily spill or drop onto the floor.

As we can see, maintaining a brewery floor at a high standard is a difficult challenge, complicated by the unavoidable factors that beer production on a large-scale scale will throw at it. Because of these conditions, failing to choose a flooring material that is up to the task at hand puts the brewery at risk from increased cleaning and repair costs as well as the damaging hygiene, safety and refurbishment issues that a complete floor failure would incur.

To ensure that the best floor is chosen for a new-build or brewery refurbishment project, it is important to discuss all of these issues with a supplier and applicator well-versed in the industry’s specific issues. Industry professionals can learn more about brewery flooring issues in Flowcrete India’s new slideshare presentation and brewery owners interested in taking the discussion to the next level can get in touch with Flowcrete India’s resin flooring experts by calling +91 44 4017 6600, emailing indweb@flowcrete.com or by filling out a contact form.